Marionette assembly with manipulating glove

ABSTRACT

A marionette assembly having the figure actuating cords detachably anchored to the extremities of the finger sections of an interchangable (right/left hand) glove.

United States Patent [1 1 Stubbmann Sept. 17, 1974 MARIONETTE ASSEMBLY WITH MANIPULATING GLOVE [75] Inventor: Albert Stubbmann, Franklin Lakes,

[73] Assignee: Kohner Bros., Inc., Elmwood Park,

22 Filed: Sept. 6, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 394,954

[52] US. Cl. 46/126, 46/154 [51] Int. Cl A63h 7/00 [58] Field of Search 46/126, 154; 273/26 E [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,852,885 9/1958 Mayer 46/154 2,860,446 11/1958 Williams 46/l26 3,153,537 10/1964 Lewis 273/26 E FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 329,166 9/1935 Italy 46/126 90,459 12/1922 Austria 46/126 Primary ExaminerF. Barry Shay Attorney, Agent, or FirmHoward J. Newby; C. Garman Hubbard; Bruno P. Struzzi 5 7 ABSTRACT A marionette assembly having the figure actuating cords detachably anchored to the extremities of the finger sections of an interchangable (right/left hand) glove.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures MARIONETTE ASSEMBLY WITH MANIPULATING GLOVE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a marionette assembly and, in particular, is directed to a marionette assembly wherein a hand glove having separate sections for each of the fingers is the controller device.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art is replete with various devices for controlling the movements of marionettes. Those known devices prior to the instant invention, however, although in some instances stated to be intended for use by children are, for the most part, constructed for manipulation by adults. Representative of marionette toys of the general field intended for children is that disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,662,338 in which the controller includes a stiff but resilient wire attached from the body of the marionette to a pair of cross-bars so that the bars are at all times held a distance apart and, since the strings are outstretched by the cross-bars, there is no tendency for the strings to tangle.

US. Pat. Nos. 2,652,658 and 2,860,446 also describe string controlled puppets in which there are provisions to eliminate or, at least decrease the tendency for, string entanglement and in which the marionette can be manipulated with one hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Surprisingly, it has now been discovered that a hand glove having separate sections for the fingers can be adapted to effect an excellent control device for the manipulation of a marionette by strings from above by young children a control device which, in the sense it does not demand finger coordination to the degree required of the prior art controls, represents an advance in the art which is well suited for use by small children. Accordingly, the present invention which exhibits precision, neatness and simplicity comprehends an elegant improvement in the field of toy marionette.

It therefore becomes an object of the present invention to provide a marionette assembly in which a child can, with one hand, readily coordinate the movements of the marionette.

Another object of the invention is to provide a marionette assembly with a simple marionette controlling device which is interchangeable with either hand.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a marionette control device which can be readily interchanged with a plurality of marionettes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a marionette assembly which is simple in construction, which can be fabricated by mass-production techniques, and which is durable in play so that the toy is marketable to parents of young children at a relatively low cost.

Other objects of the invention in part will be obvious and in part will be pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the marionette assembly hereinafter described and of which the inventive scope will be indicated in the claims appended to this application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one possible embodiment of a marionette assembly in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing in detail one alternative means for connecting the ends of the actuating cords to the extremities of the glove fingers.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view showing in detail a second alternative means for connecting each of the actuating cords to the extremities of the glove fingers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the marionette assembly 10 comprises a marionette figure 12 having a movable jointed torso 28, movable jointed arms 14, and a movable head 16. A pair of actuating cords l8 and 19 is attached at one end to each of the hand extremities 20 and 21 of the arms and a third actuating cord 22 is attached at one end to the top of the head 16 of the figure. The other ends of the actuating cords are each attached as shown to a finger section extremity 24, 25, 26, respectively of a hand glove 27.

Since the intent is to provide a marionette suitable for enjoyment by small children, the remaining parts of the marionette figure such as the feet 34 and legs 29 are rigid in construction and are affixed to and supported in an upright position by a base 30 which also supports a suitably located simulated miniature musical instrument (xylophone 31) which can be played by the movement of the marionette hand-held strikers (32).

Thus, a small child can, by fitting a hand in the glove, coordinate the head, hand, and upper body movements of the marionette figure by independent manipulation of the three fingers of one hand to cause the marionette hand-held strikers to beat upon the simulated xylophone, the torso to bend, and the head of the figure to jiggle up and down.

Further, the invention contemplates the glove 27 to be fabricated such that the pinkie finger and thumb sections are indentically constructed so that the glove may be used by both the left and right hands of a child.

The invention also comprehends the ends of the actuating cords to be anchored to the glove finger section extremities with snap-apart 36 or simple hook and eye 38 fittings as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively, which will make it possible to use a single glove as the controller for different individual marionette figures similar in simplicity to the marionette hereinabove described.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present in- 2.. The combination of claim 1 wherein the finger sections of the hand glove are connected to the actuating cords by snap-apart fasteners.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the finger sections of the hand glove are connected to the actuating cords by hook and eye fasteners 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the glove has means rendering it readily interchangeable with the right and left hand. 

1. In combination, a marionette assembly comprising; a. a base, b. an upstanding marionette figure supported by said base, said marionette figure having body elements movably attached thereto; c. a plurality of actuating cords, one end of each cord attached to one of said movable elements of the marionette figure, and d. a hand glove having finger sections to which are connected at their extremities the other ends of the actuating cords for controlling the movements of the marionette movable elements.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the finger sections of the hand glove are connected to the actuating cords by snap-apart fasteners.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the finger sections of the hand glove are connected to the actuating cords by hook and eye fasteners.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the glove has means rendering it readily interchangeable with the right and left hand. 